Classified Moto

Classified Moto builds custom motorcycles out of Richmond, Virginia, on the East Coast of the United States.

Founder John Ryland began building bikes as a hobby in his home garage with his friend Greg Ownby in 2008. He also began making lamps out of discarded motorcycle parts, and it became a significant part of the CM business with more than 1,000 numbered, hand-made units sold as of 2016. In 2010 he went full time after being laid-off from his 11-year job at a large advertising agency in Richmond.

The shop gained popularity following notable builds for actors Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica, Longmire) and Norman Reedus (AMC’s The Walking Dead), as well as appearances on Cafe Racer TV, CNN and other mainstream media.

In 2012, Ryland took on Virginian Alex Martin as a business partner and hired Danik Herashchanka as full-time fabricator and tech. Betsy Ryland is in charge of operations at Classified’s unadvertised and unmarked location just across the river from downtown Richmond.

Classified Moto has an easily recognizable style, which often incorporates the mixing of old and new components from multiple platforms. Classified popularized the use of modern inverted sport bike forks on older UJM customs, and offers conversions for sale to garage builders.

Ryland, admittedly, is not a master mechanic or fabricator and calls on talented people to help execute his designs. He believes it’s important to know what you’re good at and what you’re not. Running Classified is “based more on trial and error—and instinct—than any hard and fast rules.”

It’s tough being a custom bike builder. Aside from having to make a living, you’re at the mercy of public opinion—which can be a whole stadium’s worth of armchair quarterbacks. In short, you need a tough skin. They don’t come much tougher than John Ryland of Classified Moto. He’s developed not only a signature style,…

Blistering performance is not usually at the top of the wishlist for a custom build. But this Suzuki from Classified Moto is capable of destroying pretty much anything that crosses its path. Technically speaking, it’s a streetfighter—but you won’t find any shiny anodized bolts or Day-Glo farkles here. Just a heavy dose of Classified’s signature…

Adapted from the new book The Build: How the Masters Design Custom Motorcycles by Robert Hoekman Jr., including interviews with some of the most notable builders in the USA. When we talk about how to buy a motorcycle, we really mean “how to find a donor bike.” It’s a nice term, “donor bike”—all full of…

When John Ryland of Classified Moto sent through images of this heavily customized Honda XR650L, our jaws hit the floor. So we asked him to explain his thinking. His replies, reproduced verbatim below, are gold dust—and food for thought. AS REWARDING AS creating custom motorcycles can be, there’s a degree of frustration that goes along…